Interbike 2010: The Way It Should Be

With Interbike's 2010 Outdoor Demo being blessed with the characteristic 100-degree heat and blistering direct sun, many exhibitors were forced to exercise creative license to beat the heat while still giving eager retailers all the love they needed.

While companies such as Shimano took a more conventional–and practical–approach, installing a massive portable A/C unit outside their tent, other outfits opted for more inventive and convivial outlets.

Among the most shining examples of this inventiveness was the Santa Cruz Bicycles' self-styled moveable feast, a bacchanalian escape from the Bootleg Canyon heat and hordes of expectant demo debutantes.

With the backdrop of a weathered school bus and ex-pro XC racer Daryl Price wrenching on the 2011 demo fleet, the likes of Santa Cruz Syndicate riders Steve Peat and Greg Minnaar battled it out during copious games of "washoe", while a tank-top clad Cedric Gracia schmoozed with bamboozled Asian fanatics.

This is but a snapshot of the reality of the Outdoor Demo, and we hope the following photos give a glimpse of what Interbike is on the grassroots level: mangled derailleurs, midday power naps and the dutiful industry stalwarts who help facilitate the madness.